Normally I like to comment on news events when they relate to typical RitS subject matter, but I never thought I’d write about something like this…

Apparently two 12 year old Wisconsin girls attempted to kill a mutual friend in order to please Slenderman, a well-known character created on the internet. Believing Slenderman to be real, they had the bright idea to commit the crime and run away to become proxies; basically his servants. Fortunatly, as of this writing the victim is still alive and recovering in the hospital.

As a creepypasta fan, I cannot describe how disturbing and stupid this crime is to me. Not only were they willing to harm someone they knew, planning it over several months, but for something intangible as internet fiction. It’s very clear that Slenderman is a work of fiction-people often mention how he was created by Something Awful members. Nothing in his mythology suggests that he favors people who kill in his name or has a mansion somewhere that he takes people to. In stories I’ve read, Slenderman drives people insane, murders them and leaves their organs in little plastic bags, or simply makes them disappear. I really want to smack both these girls in the head and yell at them about this differences between reality and fiction, and ask them how they managed to come up with all this crap.

I do however, realize many people following this story may be getting a crash-course in creepypasta and Slenderman, so let me give you some basics:

1. Slenderman is a fictional monster made up in a Something Awful photoshop contest. People took the idea and ran with it, making up countless stories and even a few video series and games. His common traits include having no face, wearing a black suit, having tentacles, teleporting, messing with people’s minds, and using these abilities to kidnap children and terrorize adults. You can read more about him here.

2. Creepypasta is a term for short, scary stories spread around the internet. There are famous Creepypasta characters, much like there are many famous horror movie villains. Some examples include Jeff the Killer, the Rake, Smile Dog, Ben, and more. Creepypasta is no secret, Google it and it’s easy to find all kinds of information – particularly that they are all a work of fiction.

3. Creepypasta fans do not advocate murder or any other heinous, harmful actions. We just like reading and writing scary stories. No more, no less. We’re just as upset about what these girls have done as everyone else.

Most of all I have to ask all of you out there to please don’t start spouting that creepypasta, the internet, or videogames are harmful. They are not the root of this problem. I would argue the lack of good parenting and mental healthcare are. If you don’t want your kids reading horror stories, keep an eye on what they’re doing on the net. Spend some time with your kid and get to know them – this will make it easier to spot any psychiatric problems if any exist. You know, the kind of things a responsible parent is supposed to do anyway?

My hopes are with the victim and that she recovers quickly from this terrible event. The creepypasta community has started a fundraiser for her, and I highly recommend giving what you can to help her and her family through this ordeal.